We had this get-together planned for months. The meal plan was ready. Our schedules had finally aligned. This would be an evening where food was enjoyed, laughter was ample, and joy was the air we were breathing. For the family, we had invited over and us, this was a night on the calendar we had all been looking forward to. Then it happened. One of our kids got sick…that very day!

You’ve been there before. You know the feeling. It can seem like the universe is conspiring against you to get together, have genuine relationships, and make an impact on the lives of others. While busyness is often an excuse, the reality is that life is full of activity. And when you are trying to influence others it requires that you spend some time together. Intentional. Purposeful. Consistent. Time. Without it, any impact you may have will be mitigated or minimized into oblivion. This is especially the case when trying to disciple someone else.

People all around us need to be discipled.

Bobby Harrington

Busyness can be an obstacle to discipling someone, but it doesn’t have to be the death toll. “Disciple-making is entering into relationships to intentionally help people follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and join the mission of Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20).”[1]If that is what it means to make disciples, then the model and format can vary greatly. If the past few years taught us anything, it’s that we must be willing to rethink our model and format, but never give up on the mission of making disciples. In that vein, I found Bobby Harrington’s article “How to Disciple People Online” very helpful and insightful.

READ THE ARTICLE

Flexibility is a must when it comes to scheduling time together with friends. We did end up getting together with those friends just a few weeks ago. But one thing it reminded me of is that while the timing or format of our time together may have shifted, the relationship and purpose never did. The same can be said about disciple-making. I hope you enjoyed the article. What did you agree with? What do you struggle with? As always I’d love to hear from my readers. Don’t forget to be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day.

Until Next Time…

Photo by Jazmin Quaynor on Unsplash

Footnotes

1 https://discipleship.org/bobbys-blog/the-definition-of-disciple/